Bill Gideon, 45, executive outlet chef for River City Casino, the $357 million Pinnacle Entertainment development in Lemay. Gideon is responsible for three of the main restaurants on the property: Lewy Nine's Café; the 1904 Beerhouse; and Burger Brothers.
BIOGRAPHICAL DATA
FAMILY • Lives in downtown St. Louis with his fiancée, Cara McCarthy of Ogdensburg, N.Y., a field adjuster for Fireman's Fund insurance. Gideon is divorced with three children: Bailey, 16; Bowen, 14; and Carlan, 12, who live with their mother in Westfield, Mass. He was born in San Francisco and his family moved to Hannibal, Mo., when he was 5. He is the oldest of two children. His sister, Lisa Gideon, 39, lives in Hannibal with his mother, Marilyn Gideon, who is retired from the animal care industry. His stepfather, Russell Gideon, is deceased. Gideon has two nieces and a nephew.
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EDUCATION • Hannibal High School, 1983.
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Have you had any special chef's training?
I started cooking in a restaurant when I was 14, and as far back as I can remember I always cooked dinner at home. My mother is Jewish and I used her old family recipes. It always felt natural to me to cook. When I got older, I consciously apprenticed myself to good chefs and learned from them.
Did you ever think about becoming something other than a chef?
Absolutely — I was certain I was going to be a musician. I played trumpet in the high school jazz band and I sang. When I was 17, I got the top rating in the vocal and instrumental categories in state and district music competition. After high school, I enrolled at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, N.J.
What happened?
I moved to Princeton before school started because my aunt lived there. When I got there, I got a job at the Scanticon, a four-star, four-diamond, Danish hotel and conference center. The chef was Kai Sorensen, who was renowned in the cooking world. I was a chef's assistant and got paid $5.65 an hour but I met people there who looked at cooking as a profession, as a career. I knew that was what I wanted to do so I quit Westminster before classes even started.
What did you do from there?
In 1987, I sent my resume out to a number of places and got hired by the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills to work with chef Pascal Gode, another great chef. I was hired as the pantry chef, which was a step back from what I was doing at the Scanticon, but I knew I would learn a lot and felt confident I would move up.
How long did you stay there?
I stayed with the Four Seasons corporation until 1995. After Beverly Hills, I went to the Four Seasons in Philadelphia under chef Jean-Marie LaCroix, who was an icon in the industry, and then I went to the Four Seasons in Chicago where I worked with chef Mark Baker. All along, they were grooming me to be an executive chef.
Why did you leave the Four Seasons?
My last job with them was at their luxury resort in Nevis, West Indies. I was married by this time and my wife was pregnant and she just hated it there. The company offered me the executive chef's job there but I would have had to agree to stay for three years. I just couldn't do that to my wife so we left and I went to work at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel, which is where they filmed "Pretty Woman."
How did you get to St. Louis?
I opened my own fine-dining restaurant in North Adams, Mass., in 2003. Things were going great for a number of years and I opened a second place with a different concept, a luncheon and nightclub. In 2006 the economy started tanking and I wound up losing everything. I worked for a number of different dining operations and then in August 2009, I heard about the River City job and started here on Oct. 1.
Has it been a good fit for you?
I love it. I have a staff of about 60 people and they're all just great to work with. I feel like I understand St. Louis since I grew up in Hannibal.
Do you get a chance to read, and, if so, what was the last best book you read?
I love to read. I guess the last book I enjoyed was the most recent Harry Potter, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
Your car?
An '06 Lincoln Navigator. It's champagne.